Algeria’s Sonatrach has prequalified six contractors to bid for the front-end engineering and design for the development of the Hassi Messaoud peripheral fields in the North African state.

The fields are located in eastern Algeria and the main Hassi Messaoud field was discovered in 1956 and is the country’s largest producing oilfield with more than 350,000 barrels a day (b/d) of production. The field was producing more than 500,000 b/d in the 1970s.

The companies prequalified to bid for the feed are:

• Fluor (US)
• Foster Wheeler (US)
• Genesis Oil & Gas (UK)
• KBR (US)
• Mott MacDonald (UK)
• Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain)

The scope of works for the scheme include the construction of collecting facilities. Oil and gas separation facilities, transfer infrastructure, water injection and gas-lift facilities and associated offsite and utilities.

The work is aimed at increasing the production from the Hassi Messaoud fields to about 700,000-750,000 b/d by 2018.

The oil and gas project sector in Algeria has been slow in 2013 due to the terrorist attack on the In Amenas gas plant in January. This led to a full security review which meant that many projects stopped construction work or were postponed until the safety of all personnel could be evaluated.